Mark didn’t begin his gospel with an account of Jesus’ birth. He had other things he wanted to tell us about Jesus.

Here’s a transcript:

My first thought: Hau’oli makahiki hou! A Happy and Blessed New Year to all of you.

This coming Sunday we have a real treat at Church of the Holy Cross. The Rev. Dr. Chris Davies, a member of the national staff of the United Church of Christ, will be gracing our pulpit, bringing her energy and her wisdom to us. I’m really looking forward to that.

I’m also thinking about the first chapter of Mark: Mark’s account of the baptism of Jesus.

Mark didn’t begin his gospel with any description of Jesus’ birth. For him, what’s important is that the baptism began Jesus’ ministry; the baptism launched Jesus’ message.

The simplicity of that really appeals to me, that focus on what Jesus did and what Jesus said.